What was once a dirt field off Remount Road in North Charleston, SC is now covered in the same grass played on by professional and collegiate athletes. For Charleston Bilingual Academy (CBA), the transformation is about more than grass. It is another example of what founder and Head of School Dr. Nathan Johnson calls a “God-sized movement.”
“We’re in the middle of a God-sized movement here, where so many generous people have come together,” Johnson said. In May 2026, that generosity reached into the turfgrass industry when Green Acres Turf Farm and Sod Solutions donated NorthBridge® Bermudagrass for the school’s new athletic field. Chandler Construction provided dirt and grading, while Aldersgate Methodist partnered with CBA on the property.
The result is a quality natural grass playing surface now being used by CBA students for athletics, recreation and the lessons Johnson believes sports can teach beyond the classroom.
“In 11 years, God has prodigiously and generously blessed the school, providing everything we need to give these kids a beautiful bilingual, Christ-centered education,” Johnson said.
NorthBridge is the same bermudagrass variety used on prominent professional and collegiate playing surfaces, including football fields at Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, the University of South Carolina, Duke University and Mississippi State University, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. It was also used on a number of stadiums that hosted last summer’s World Cup.
For Johnson, seeing CBA students have the opportunity to play on that same grass was particularly meaningful. “I can’t get my mind around that we have NorthBridge grass for Charleston Bilingual Academy,” he said.
A Field for the Kids
Soccer has long been part of CBA and the new NorthBridge field gives those athletes a dedicated natural grass surface while creating room for the school’s broader sports programs to grow.
“We have been growing our soccer team since we started 11 and a half years ago, so that is our forte, and I’m excited to see them take it to the next level,” Johnson said.
But the value of the new facility goes beyond competition.
“There’s so many layers to sports,” Johnson said. “It teaches so many things to kids that you can’t teach in the classroom, from collaboration and teamwork to how to handle the strong emotions that come with sports, and to channel that into drive and hard work.”
For CBA, the goal of the new sports facility is to provide opportunities for teamwork, mentorship and discipleship.
“We’re just so excited to expand what the school has,” Johnson said. “Now that we have a high school, we have gorgeous high school sports facilities to grow our CBA program.”
Learn more at CharlestonBilingualAcademy.org.
This article was written by Cecilia Johnson.
